Business Sampler: Reflect and project to make your business grow

As the year draws to a close, it makes good sense to follow the guidance of Viktor Frankl: "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."

In this case I am suggesting you reflect, the time between the stimulus and the response, on the past year and honestly consider what you have and have not accomplished. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

» What one thing would your mom or grandma be most proud to hear you accomplished?

» What one thing would your dad or grandpa be most proud of?

» If you were to "buy" your existing business, what two or three things are really great features that make this business invaluable? I hope unlike Al Pacino when asked what his weaknesses were could come up with none and conversely no strengths either.

» What were the best sales you made this year? Not necessarily the biggest but the best ones, the ones you fought hard for, the ones that flowed so smoothly.

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» What brilliant moves did you make this past year, moves that may even astound you as to their shrewdness?

» What things did you leave undone? Things that should have been done but were not?

» What things are partly done and need only a little more work to get them over the top? What is holding you back on them?

» What two or three things do you wish you could do over or do differently? How will you avoid doing those same things this coming year?

» What were your greatest goofs this past year? What caused these "goofs" and how can you avoid them in the future?

With this list of greatest hits and near misses in hand you are ready to project for the future.

As already alluded to, how can you make doing more of the good things routine? Can you make new processes or improve the ones you have? How can you build on these accomplishments to build an even better business or department?

Now for those "goofs." What are you doing to avoid them in the future? Mistakes are great teachers; don't let them be your only teacher.

Based on this year's successes what goals should you put in place for next year? How much bigger should they be based on your moments of brilliance this year? As they say in England, "faint heart never won Lady dear."

Will you dare to be great next year? Will you dare to have more moments of brilliance?

Success is a matter of doing things better this year than last year. So take, no MAKE the time to reflect and project an even brighter future for yourselves.

John S. Benjamin is the founder of Front Range Coaching and serves an international clientele. Contact him at John@FrontRangeCoaching.com.